Category: Boxing

Ex-Panthers star Greg Hardy suffers another brutal KO and fans are loving his downfall

June 4, 2023

Former Carolina Panthers star defensive end Greg Hardy was a nightmare on the gridiron. One of the most feared defenders in the league, he tallied 11 sacks in 2012 and 15 sacks in 2013.

The six-foot-five ex-NFL star has been busy fighting for dollars during his post-NFL career, with mixed results.

Hardy’s MMA record currently stands at seven wins and five losses, with his final three losses coming by way of KO or TKO.

On Friday, Hardy once again tasted the canvas, as he suffered a 17th round knockout at the hands of Alexander Flores in a Team Combat League boxing promotion.

It was Hardy’s second knockout loss in four months.

“Win some you lose some,” Hardy wrote on Instagram after Friday’s knockout. “I got sloppy looking for a knockout.”

Hardy last played for the Dallas Cowboys in 2015, when he played in 12 games and had 35 tackles including nine for loss.

Friday’s knockout came just days after Hardy called himself the “obvi(ous) influencer king” and challenged YouTube star Jake Paul to a fight. Several fans seemed to enjoy Hardy’s knockout loss, judging by their social media comments.

 

 

“Walmart Fighting League ☝🏽🥇🛒,” one commenter said.

“Good, when he fights grown men who hit back, this is what happens,” referencing Hardy’s 2014 domestic violence conviction.

“Greg Hardy is awful, I don’t know why people still talk about him,” another said.

Hardy, who describes himself as a boxer, UFC fighter, pro football player, and semi-pro basketball player on his Instagram page, posted photo of him being stuck at the airport following the loss.

He currently has 87,000 followers, suggesting his time in the limelight may not be over yet.

“(Forget)  what the people say man, u got more balls then 99% of people online, keep ur head up bro💪,” one of his readers said following the post.

The former Panthers star suffered a knockout loss in February as part of a bare knuckle boxing event.

 

 

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Gervonta Davis taken into custody for court hearing on hit-and-run case amid house arrest

June 2, 2023

Boxing champion Gervonta Davis has been taken into custody at Baltimore Central Booking following an impromptu court hearing regarding his hit-and-run case from 2020. He was sentenced to three months of house arrest early in May, but will now serve out the remainder of that time in jail, according to Justin Fenton of the Baltimore Banner.

Davis had recently emerged victorious against Ryan Garcia on April 22 in a highly-anticipated bout in T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. He won via knockout in the seventh round to increase his undefeated streak to 29-0. Despite all of his in-ring accolades, however, the 28-year-old has a lengthy legal record.

In the incident in question, Davis plead guilty for his role in a car crash that injured four people, including a pregnant woman. He fled the scene but was later charged. The boxer nicknamed “Tank” was able to gain permission from the judge to stay with his trainer and be confined to house arrest in Baltimore rather than serve out his sentence in jail.

That is no longer the case, though, as this star athlete is again making headlines for all the wrong reasons. No hearing was expected, leaving people to speculate on what could have forced this change in circumstances for Gervonta Davis. He also was required to complete 200 hours of community service as well as participate in a Mothers Against Drunk Driving panel.

Davis now repeats a cycle of exchanging recent adulation for public ignominy. People will await further detail on this case and will be especially interested to see how the sport of boxing responds.

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Canelo Alvarez set to get bonkers $50 million offer for blockbuster fight

June 1, 2023

Representatives for WBC interim super middleweight champion David Benavidez are prepared to offer undisputed champ Canelo Alvarez a deal that includes close to $50 million in guaranteed money, according to Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix.

Mannix said the actual purse “would be in the neighborhood of $40 million.” He added splits on gate revenue and PPV would push the package close to $50 million for Alvarez.

This appears to be the most money Alvarez would make in his career for one fight. He reportedly made $45 million in his third fight with Gennadiy Golovkin.

Benavidez’s camp has sought a fight with Canelo Alvarez, who holds the WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, WBO and The Ring super middleweight titles, for a while.

He is listed as the top challenger for the super middleweight title by The Ring. Benavidez is 26 years old and previously held the WBC super middleweight championship.

Alvarez last defeated John Ryder by unanimous decision May 6. He is expected to return to the ring in September.

Canelo Alvarez said his “goal” is a rematch with Dmitry Bivol, who defeated him by unanimous decision May 7, 2022 at light heavyweight.

According to ESPN’s Mike Coppinger, Alvarez wants that fight to take place at 175 pounds, while Bivol is seeking a crack at Alvarez’s undisputed championships at super middleweight.

Benavidez is an intriguing option for Alvarez. He has Mexican roots and has great power, posting 23 of his 27 victories by knockout. Benavidez is also yet to lose in his career.

He last defeated Caleb Plant March 25. Before then, he had a streak of six fights that he won by either technical knockout or corner retirement.

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Terence Crawford sends Deontay Wilder warning to Francis Ngannou

June 1, 2023

Terence Crawford believes there’ll only be one outcome if former UFC star Francis Ngannou boxes with a top heavyweight today.

The WBO welterweight champion was asked about the new PFL signing’s chances in boxing the likes of a Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua or Deontay Wilder.

It’s something he can actually do thanks to his PFL contract. But as far as Crawford is concerned, Ngannou has virtually no chance whatsoever.

“Listen, that guy is a puncher,” Crawford said on The MMA Hour. “He’s doing his thing in MMA, but it’s different over there, calling out the top heavyweights of the world today. I don’t see him having a chance with either one of those guys, and that’s just being honest.”

“Bud” acknowledges that Ngannou has some skills, but if he were to give him any advice, it would be to test the waters first before challenging any of the elite heavyweights.

Especially given Wilder’s knockout power in particular.

“He’s got some skills,” Crawford added. “I would tell him, get your feet wet, try to fight some of those lower-tier guys first, just to feel yourself out, and get used to being in the ring, going rounds. It’s different. MMA and boxing are different. So just get used to some people with skills coming back at you and out-thinking you, the whole realm of boxing, before you go over there and try to mess with those guys. Because one guy that you’re going to get one shot — and if you mess up, you’re going to be knocked out into next week for messing with — [is] Deontay Wilder.

“If he hits you, you’re going to sleep. Deontay Wilder, he hits you, you’re going to sleep. Tyson Fury, he went to sleep and woke up. I don’t see too many other guys doing that. Deontay Wilder is one of the biggest punchers ever, so just keep that in mind.”

Francis Ngannou has not competed since Jan. 2022 having undergone knee surgery since. He is expected to make his PFL debut in 2024.

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‘He called me’: Eddie Hearn reveals who Devin Haney wants to fight next

June 1, 2023

Devin Haney has his next opponent in mind.

Although the scorecards were controversial, Haney remains the undisputed lightweight champion following a razor-thin unanimous decision win over Vasiliy Lomachenko last month.

He was expected to remain at lightweight to only face either Shakur Stevenson or Gervonta Davis next.

However, that no longer seems to be the case according to Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn who revealed that Haney wants to move up and challenge Regis Prograis for his WBC super lightweight title.

“He called me the other night. He wants to fight Regis Prograis,” Hearn said on  the DAZN Boxing Show (via BoxingNews24). “He wants to move up to 140. He wants a belt. I said to him that he’s got to be a little bit careful because part of his value is he’s undisputed.

“So when he moves up a division, that’s the risk he takes from there.”

It could definitely happen as Prograis is open to the matchup as well.

“But he’s [Haney] identified Regis Prograis as the fight that he wants. Regis loves the fight,” Hearn added. “He has [Danielito] Zorrilla first on June 17th. He’s got to smash him to pieces. He’s got to shout out Devin Haney.

“We’ve got to get those guys together and get the right number for both guys, and I believe we can make that happen.”

While it’s not the fight everyone expected or wanted for Devin Haney next just yet, it’s still a great fight as Prograis is one of the best 140-pounders in the world.

However, it will also leave question marks for the lightweight division at the same time.

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Terence Crawford drops extremely bold Floyd Mayweather take

May 31, 2023

Terence Crawford believes he would have beaten Floyd Mayweather.

“Me,” Crawford said on the “Million Dollaz Worth of Game” podcast. “Man, me.”

Crawford is considered the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world by ESPN. He will have the biggest test of his career July 29, when he faces the fourth-ranked pound-for-pound fighter, Errol Spence Jr., for the undisputed welterweight championship.

Terence Crawford can prove himself as an all-time great then. He already feels like he is one.

“Me versus anybody, [I’m going] to always say me,” Crawford said.

Floyd Mayweather is one of the best boxers of all time. He has a professional record of 50-0, though his last victory was against UFC fighter Conor McGregor.

Mayweather defeated 23 world champions in his career. Crawford is 17-0 in championship fights.

The 46-year-old Mayweather defeated the best boxers of his era, including Oscar de la Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Miguel Cotto, Canelo Alvarez and Manny Pacquiao. He is arguably the best defensive fighter of all time.

Crawford is a difficult opponent since he can fight in orthodox and southpaw stance. He has great power, posting 30 of his 39 victories by knockout.

He is in his third weight class, but Crawford has no issue with it. He has finished six of seven welterweight fights by technical knockout. He scored a knockout win versus David Avanesyan in Dec. 2022.

 

 

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Billam-Smith downs Okolie, Wood avenges Lara defeat, Lopez stops Conlan on eventful night of boxing

May 28, 2023

Chris Billam-Smith is the new WBO cruiserweight champion after defeating Lawrence Okolie in Bournemouth on Saturday night, while Leigh Wood defeated Mauricio Lara in Manchester.

Billam-Smith was fighting with home support at the Vitality Stadium, in front of 15,000 supporters, and the former friends produced a thrilling match-up.

Rivalry had become animosity as competition grew intense between two contenders who one shared a gym.

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Billam-Smith faced a fierce barrage in the opening rounds, but after absorbing some powerful blows aimed to his body, and a right to the head, he did seem to be wobbling a little.

However the challenger grew into the fight and sent Okolie to the canvas three times, and while there was a surprise scorecard from one judge ruling it a draw, two others were heavily in favour of Billam-Smith, who took the win by split decision.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the fight, Okolie immediately welcomed a rematch, saying: “I love being the winner and the champion, I have to take my hat off to him, he did very good work. We’re going to run it back.

“I trained really hard because I know what Chris is made of. Today is his night, I might be down but I’m definitely not out.

“This was Chris at his very best.

“I can adapt to a loss, I’ll be back again.”

Billam-Smith celebrated: “I have no idea what’s just happened. My whole life has gone so quick and come to this moment, it’s just perfect. There’s nothing more..

“Against a great champion and a close friend in Lawrence, who has never looked close to getting beaten, he’s given me a very, very hard 12 rounds. I believe I did enough to win it, I believe the scorecards show that.”

Further north, Wood is once again the WBA featherweight champion after outpointing veteran Mexican Lara 118-109, 116-111 and 118-109.

Wood was stopped by the 34-year-old back in February but a rematch was swiftly arranged, and there were signs that Lara was not quite at his best before the fight got underway.

It had become clear by midweek that he would not be able to make the weight as he came in at over 129lbs, meaning he was stripped of the belt and only Wood was in contention.

Nevertheless, the risk for the Englishman was that the heavier man would carry too much of an advantage for him to succeed, but there was no need for concern as he put on an accomplished performance.

“I should’ve done that first time around,” Wood told BBC Radio 5 Live. “He’s tricky – if you switch off he will put your lights out. I was so focused, so driven, I was never going to fail no matter what.”

And in Belfast, Michael Conlan failed in his tilt to become featherweight champion for the IBF as he fell to title holder Luis Alberto Lopez, as his team threw in the towel in the fifth round.

Josh Warrington, Lara and Conlan could all be considered options for Wood as he contemplates his first defence of his reclaimed belt.

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Cameron beats Taylor to retain light-welterweight title in Dublin

21/05/2023 AT 10:59

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‘Man of my word’: Errol Spence Jr. drops truth bomb on making Terence Crawford fight

May 26, 2023

For Errol Spence Jr., fighting Terence Crawford to become the undisputed welterweight champion was the only choice for him in his return to the ring.

The 33-year-old southpaw shared as much in his recent appearance on ESPN’s First Take, noting that the Crawford fight is what he wanted all along. Even though he could have chosen to match up with somebody else before meeting his 35-year-old rival, he opted to wait until things get done instead.

To recall, the fight between the two has been in the works since last year. There have been several times that it looked like it was a done deal until a public breakdown in negotiations happened, with Spence and Crawford unable to agree on revenue splits and rematch terms. Crawford proceeded to shift his focus on a different fight and took on David Avanesyan last December 2022. As for Spence, he has been inactive since his last fight with Yordenis Ugas since April 2022.

“I’m a man of my word… Even staying out the ring a whole year. This is the fight I wanted and I stuck to my guns. I was like, ‘I’m not fighting until I fight Terence Crawford,’” Spence told Stephen A. Smith on the show, which also had Crawford as guest.

Both Errol Spence Jr. and Terence Crawford proceeded to hype their fight in the show, with the latter even saying that he’s going for the knockout if he’s able to hurt his opponent.

“I don’t have a 100% ratio of knockouts in the welterweight division for nothing. Ever since I moved up I became meaner, stronger, punching harder. So of course, if the knockout comes,” Crawford added.

The two fighters have an undefeated record, with Spence carrying a 28-and-0 record with 22 KOs while Crawford boasts 39 wins with 30 knockouts. Sure enough, their fight is expected to make waves and create plenty of headlines.

Spence also promised that they are going to put on a “great show,” which should only make things more interesting.

Spence and Crawford will meet on July 29 at the  T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The bout will unify the IBF, WBC, WBA and WBO welterweight titles.

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Fury claims he has ‘sent a contract’ to Joshua for September Wembley title fight

May 26, 2023

Tyson Fury has once again offered Anthony Joshua a fight, and has now claimed he has sent the former world champion a contract for a Wembley event this autumn.

Fury has a longstanding habit of trailing a fight with Joshua but claim and counter-claim have seen the WBC champion fight Deontay Wilder three times, before a mandatory defence against Dillian Whyte and then an underwhelming third fight against Derek Chisora in December last year.

The Morecambe-based fighter was reportedly in talks with Oleksandr Usyk over a May fight to become undisputed at heavyweight, but negotiations collapsed despite the Ukrainian appearing to publicly accept most terms along the way.

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The 34-year-old wrote: “A few days ago I sent a draft contract to Anthony Joshua for a fight in September at Wembley.

“It’s a fight everyone wants to see, including myself.

“Come on AJ let’s give the world what they want to see. This time I’m not going to make a million videos and keep putting pressure on. The ball is now on your side.”

Joshua lost twice to Usyk in back-to-back fights, and returned to winning ways at the start of April, against Jermaine Franklin.

Fury has fought 34 times, drawing one and winning 33; while Joshua has lost three times in 28 fights.

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Boxing: Tyson Fury-Anthony Joshua fight ‘in talks’

May 26, 2023

A boxing fight between WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and former heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua is in talks for September, according to ESPN’s Mike Coppinger.

The fight would take place in the United Kingdom, where both fighters are from.

Coppinger said talks for a two-fight boxing card that would have Fury face WBO, WBA, IBF and IBO heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk and Joshua face former WBC champ Deontay Wilder are still ongoing.

Fury is pushing to make his first fight of 2023 happen quickly, Coppinger added.

Tyson Fury, who is No. 5 on ESPN’s pound-for-pound rankings, and his camp were in talks to face Joshua last fall. However, those conversations fell through.

Recently, he called out Usyk on social media to make their undisputed title fight happen. The two had discussions for a bout but they fell apart in March.

Fury, who is 34 years old, retired briefly in 2022 before he returned to boxing to knock out Derek Chisora Dec. 3.

Joshua returned to the ring last month and had a unanimous decision win over Jermaine Franklin.

Anthony Joshua put his heavyweight titles on the line in a two-fight series against Usyk. Usyk won the first bout in Sept. 2021 by unanimous decision and then the second in Aug. 2022 by split decision.

The heavyweight division has four popular fighters: Joshua, Usyk, Fury and Wilder. However, none have fought for the undisputed title even though they each have held all the belts at a different time.

This summer or fall, it is possible that there could be a mix of fights between the four.

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